Parenting time
Encyclopedia
Parenting time is the amount of time each parent spends with their children when parents separate. Disagreements about how to measure it and how to divide it often cause controversy between the parents.
and their successor, the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission (CMEC) define parenting time in terms of the number of nights that the children stay with each parent
. Thus the primary carer
receives a reduced child maintenance calculation if the secondary carer has more than 52 nights/year contact with his children. This could be considered as unfair to those secondary carers who provide significant day-time care of the children but are unable to provide overnight accommodation owing to the unsuitability of their property.
Fathers' rights movement argue that this indirectly discriminates against fathers, as they are more likely to have moved out of the former matrimonial home and less able to obtain social housing suitable for the children to stay. This is part of the winner takes all (benefits) situation and arguably not in the children's best interests.
A fairer measure of parenting time is all non-school time when the child is awake, since once the child is asleep, it is impossible to 'parent' the child. In court
hearings concerning dividing up the children's time with the parents, it is submitted that calculating and dividing this figure would produce a fairer result than including time when the children are asleep.
United Kingdom
For child maintenance purposes, for example, the Child Support AgencyChild Support Agency
The Child Support Agency is a delivery arm of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission in Great Britain and the Department for Social Development in Northern Ireland...
and their successor, the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission (CMEC) define parenting time in terms of the number of nights that the children stay with each parent
Parent
A parent is a caretaker of the offspring in their own species. In humans, a parent is of a child . Children can have one or more parents, but they must have two biological parents. Biological parents consist of the male who sired the child and the female who gave birth to the child...
. Thus the primary carer
Primary carer
Primary Parent or Primary carer is a term to describe the parent who has most parenting time with the children after separation. The other parent is then known as the secondary parent - arguably less pejorative than terms like single parent or Parent With Care.-United Kingdom:The Primary carer or...
receives a reduced child maintenance calculation if the secondary carer has more than 52 nights/year contact with his children. This could be considered as unfair to those secondary carers who provide significant day-time care of the children but are unable to provide overnight accommodation owing to the unsuitability of their property.
Fathers' rights movement argue that this indirectly discriminates against fathers, as they are more likely to have moved out of the former matrimonial home and less able to obtain social housing suitable for the children to stay. This is part of the winner takes all (benefits) situation and arguably not in the children's best interests.
A fairer measure of parenting time is all non-school time when the child is awake, since once the child is asleep, it is impossible to 'parent' the child. In court
Court
A court is a form of tribunal, often a governmental institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law...
hearings concerning dividing up the children's time with the parents, it is submitted that calculating and dividing this figure would produce a fairer result than including time when the children are asleep.
External resources
- http://www.fnf.org.uk
- http://www.cmoptions.org/en/calculator/calculator.asp
- http://www.legalservices.gov.uk/civil/guidance/eligibility_calculator.asp
- http://www.opsi.gov.uk/Acts/acts1991/ukpga_19910048_en_1